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n e h S V ATU w h S 2 Y A.. W G N I M E H B. E m. w M O m DEVGE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUEAUTURE 0E SPRING BOTTOMS 0F LOU-NGES AND OTHER ARTICLES OE FURNITURE.

latented Apr. 3, 1888.

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(No Model.)

DEVGE EMPLOYED 1N THB MANUFAGTURE 0F SPRING BOTTUMS 0F S OF FURNITURE,

LOUNGES AND OTHER ARTIGLB No. 380,323.

Patented-A r. 3, 1888.

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UNrrnD VSTATES PATEN @tirreno FREDERICK B. HEMIXGVAY, OF CLINTON, IOVA, ASSIGNOR TO HEMING- WAY di KELLY, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE EMPLOYED IN THE II/IANUFACTURE 0F SPRING-BOTTOMS OF LOUNGES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,323, dated April 3, 1858.

n Application filed August 26, 1887. Serial No. 247,94?. (No model.)

To @ZZ w/'wmf it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK B. HEMING- WAY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing` at Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Lounges, Sofas, Beds, Chairs, and other Articles of Furniture, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to devices employed in the manufacture of spring-bottoms of lounges and other articles of furniture;

Itis well-known that there is considerable slack in the wires forming the loops and coils of ordinary wire webbing, and that owing to this slackness of the wires mattresses and supporting-bottoms made of such wire webbing invariably sag in use.

The object of the invention is to prevent the sagging of wire webbing, and especially such webbing employed as supporting -bases of spring-bottoms of lounges, sofas, beds, chairs, and other articles of furniture; and this invention consists of devices adapted to stretch tightly the wire webbing used for such purposes, and adapted to hold such webbing in a tightly-stretched condition while it is being fastened to a frame, as fully set forth and claimed in this application. Vhile in this case these devices are illustrated in their application to stretching and attaching wire webbing to a lounge-fraine,it is evident that without departing from the principle of the invention they may be employed in stretching tightly and fastening wire webbing in the tightly-stretched condition to any frame where such webbing may be used, and where it may be desirable to prevent its sagging.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a lounge-frame, showing a plan of the stretcher and the wire webbing unstretched in full lines and stretched in dotted lincs. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing in elevation the stretcher in position to stretch the webbing longitudinally. Fig. 3 is a'plan view showing the stretcher placed crosswise in position to stretch the webbing sidewise. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same.

A designates the wire-web base cut or formed sufficiently less in size than the frame to which it is attached to allow for expansion.

B designates a lounge-frame provided at one end with the transverse fulcrum-bar d, which is rigidly attached to the frame in position to form the bearing ofthe free end of onesection of the stretcher-bar, as herein set forth.

The stretching devices which at present I employ are adapted to stretch the wire webbing in one direction at a time, and they consist of a' stretcher, C, and a bench, D. The stretcherbar is constructed in two parts, a a', hinged together at c?. One end of this uiointed bar is provided with a cross-head, a3, having lingers a, consisting of iron rods bolted at one end tothe cross-head and having central grooves in their free ends formed parallel with the head to receive and hold against the rods b b', inserted loosely through the meshes of the webbing. This stretcher is provided with a leverbar in two parts, b2 b, the inner end of b2 being iirxnly bolted to the hinged section a, ofthe stretcher-bar, and the two parts of the lever are hinged together at b4, to allow part b3 to be folded back out ofthe way of the workman in fastening the webbing to the frame. The said bench consists of a supporting-frame having projections c, forming a seat for a frame for holding it in place during the operation of stretching and fastening to the frame the wire webbing. This bench is provided with a fly, E, hinged to one side of the bench,and the free edge of this dy is provided with a fulcruin-bar, c', extended above the upper surface of the ily, which bar forms a bearing for the free end of section a of the stretcher-har in stretching the webbing sidewise, as hereinafter fully explained. One end of the wire web being fastened to the end of the frame having the fulcrum-bar d, and the rod b being inserted through the meshes of the web at or near its free end, the stretcher is placed upon the web with the free end of the section a ofthe stretcherbar against the fulcruni bar d. Then the jointed bar a c,being constructed the required length, is sprung upward in the middle sufficiently to draw the ngers inward to allow their grooved ends to catch against the rod l, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Pressure being then applied upon the free end IOO of the lever, bearing down the jointed bar stretches tightly the wire webbing longitudinally, and then the adjustable keeper d is moved along the hinged stretcher-bar, so as to secure the stretcher in position, holding the Wire expanded while its free end is being fastened to theffraxne.

In stretching the webbing sidewise,one side edge of the web being fastened to the side of the frame toward the fulcruni-bar c', and the bar b being inserted through the meshes at or near the free edge of the Wire Web,the stretcher is placed orosswise of the webbing, with the free end of thesection a of the j ointed bar against the fulcrum-bar c on the fly and the grooved ends of the fingers bearing against the rod b', and the stretching is then performed precisely in the same manner as above described. The hinged iy may be supported in a horizontal position by a hinged leg, c2, and when not in use the fly may be folded down by the side of the bench.

Heretofore Wire webbing employed in spring-bottoms has been attached to separate frames and tightened (if tighten'ed at all) by means of adjustable bars. I dispense With suchy separate frames and adjustable bars and attach the tightly-stretched Wire base directly to the main frame, and thus save expense in the manufacture and improve the quality of such articles,and avoid the liability of insects or mice entering and harboring in such springbottoms. v

The Wire webbing stretched tightly and attached in its tightly-stretched state to a frame,

as herein set forth, is not claimed in this application, but is made the subject of another application, No. 259,595, filed January 3, 1887.

What I claim as new is- 1. The wire-web stretcher consisting of the jointed bar a a, having the cross-head c3, pro vided with fingers a4, adapted to hold agalnst rods inserted through the meshes of a Wire web, A, the jointed lever 19253, attached to the stretcher-bar, and the adjustable keeper d', l1n combination with. supporting-frame B, a fulcrum-bar, d, attached to the frame and adapted vto support one end of the stretcher-bar, and

keeper d', substantially as and for the pu rposes described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed I n y signaature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK B. HEMINGWAY.

Vitnesses:

H. W. SEAMAN, (Gao. B. YOUNG. 

